Disclaimer: NO! I don't own Lord of the Rings, I never have, and I never
will... *sigh* it's all Tolkien's....make no money.....all for enjoyment
purposes only....you know the drill!!!
Replies to reviews...
lulu bell: well it'd make for a boring fic if they weren't in trouble...(in my opinion anyway!!!) :p The two elves don't really figure in the fic...they're just sorta there for that chappie - in fact they dont even have names!!! LMAO is laughing my ass off! TY for reviewing! sorry about the delay *again* - real life sucks sometimes...
Elf-Girl: awwww, really? you're welcome! eep! Love you too!!!!
Kogura: LOL!!! and ty for prying her off! ;-)
Gloriollas: Nope, not for ransom this time...they don't even know he's royalty!! But yes, Aragorn is almost dead... whether or not he's gonna make it....well I havent decided yet!!! :D This is as soon as I could update...sorry...
farflung: Yes he has. yes they are. but will they get away with it??? I never said they *wouldn't*.... *evil laugh* I dunno what you mean by good or evil Mirkwood? you're welcome and sorry its taken so long...
Deana: lol, do I detect sarcasm? *huggles* just kidding! Here it is, FINALLY!
A/N: well, sorry about the delay, i'll try and get on more often... real life can be a pain in the neck sometimes. *sigh* well sorry to keep you hanging...
Part Two.
They had travelled for miles before the men had stopped for the night. They had been mostly silent for the entire journey, and each of Legolas' attempts to find out information had resulted in a swift blow, so he had eventually given up.
It had soon become clear that the men were uncomfortable with the elf's presence. They sat further that was necessary away from where he was being kept, and kept on looking at him uneasily. None of them would even speak to him.
There was one man though, he looked younger than the rest. He hadn't objected to being around the elf. Legolas hadn't missed the fact that Aemir had tried to make things easier for him, tried to stop the others when they had mistreated him. It didn't change the fact that he was still one of them.
Some time later, the young man came over and sat down. There was silence for a moment. Legolas said nothing - if this man wanted something, Legolas certainly wasn't going to ask what it was. Eventually the man did speak.
"I know what you're going through." he said quietly. There was no reply, so Aemir decided to put his one talent to good use, and tried again, this time using Elvish. Legolas looked obviously surprised, but still didn't reply, so Aemir carried on in the same language,
"Yes I speak your language. I might be young but I've spent my life studying your people. Nothing we say here will get back to them, I promise."
"Why should I believe that?" the elf replied angrily.
Aemir was a little put off by his tone, but was relieved that he had carried on using the same language, so decided to try again.
"Because three years ago I was in your position. These men took me from my home, but when they found out that I had some knowledge of Elves, they decided to keep me, rather than sell me on. There's an annual sale of slaves to the east of Mordor. Almost every slave trader in Middle Earth goes there. That's where they're taking you. And that's the reason they kept me."
"I'm not explaining this very well am I? I'll try again. I was fascinated by Elves from a very young age - so I learnt about your history, your peoples, your language. These men are slave traders. The sales that I mentioned are huge, they make most of their business there, and they're in just over a month's time. Every year, the slavers are hoping they'll be the one to bring an Elf. And the buyers that come from far and wide, even from the richest kings and warlords, they all want to be the one that buys the elf that's brought. As you can guess, the price would be very high. The humans they sell are used as slaves, but the buyers generally see Elves as status symbols, as prizes. And the slaver that brings an Elf could comfortably retire on the profit. You see why they kept me?"
"But why don't you go home to your family? *You* can walk away from them." he said darkly, showing Aemir his bound hands. Aemir shook his head.
"I can't do that. Believe me, if I could, I would have done so long ago. The lives I have seen these men ruin... But if I do, they say they will kill my daughter and my wife. My daughter will be almost three years old now - she was just a baby when they took me. I believe them, and I can't risk their lives."
Legolas looked at the man for the first time since he had come over. He looked very young really, and maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth - the pain on his face looked very real. But it could all be a lie. A way for these men to get information from him. If that was the case, it was a nice try, but it wouldn't work. The man seemed to come back to the present,
"You're a wood-elf aren't you? My guess would be that you're from Mirkwood." he said gently. Legolas nodded once. He would give them that much.
They were interrupted now by a cry from one of the men who seemed to be in charge, "Well Aemir, does it have a name?"
Aemir looked back to the elf apologetically. "I'm sorry. What is your name, anyway?"
Silence.
"If you don't tell them, they'll just take out their anger on you - it'd be better for you if you do."
"Estel. My name is Estel." he replied quietly.
"Well?" the man shouted.
"He says his name is Estel. It means hope." Aemir called back. The man by the fire laughed.
"Not done him much good has it?"
"It was a dark time for my family when I took that name. It was appropriate." It was true enough - a year on from Turion's death, now he had been captured, and the real Estel was out there somewhere, hurt, and Legolas didn't know what had happened, even whether he was alive or dead.
"Well it's gonna get darker for you yet, elf." the man shouted back. "Just wait til we get to where we're going - then you'll know dark!". Again, the men laughed, before turning back to their own conversation.
"Why do you all hate me so much?" Legolas asked Aemir.
"I have nothing against you. In fact if I had my way, they would never have found you. I can usually give them wrong, or off information, but this time it was no use. These men are incredibly supersticious. They all grew up in either small villages or camps, and the only thing they had ever heard about elves were wildly wrong stories. They fear you more than anything."
"What sort of stories?" he asked, hoping he might hear something to his advantage.
Aemir looked the elf up and down. "Stories about your people. About why they have that soft glow that they do, things like that. They think that all elves have magic, some sort of power, and that the stronger your light, the more powerful you are. They are terrified of elf magic - they think that you have the ability to kill them just with words, that you have powerful curses and such."
"Really?" Legolas smiled softly - that was perfect. "Aemir, he said your name was? If you really are sorry about doing this to me, and would rather I wasn't here, as you say, I need your help. Don't worry - they won't know you've helped me - there will be no threat to your little girl. I just want you to go back over to the camp and when they start telling tales, at the earliest chance you have, remind them of all the worst stories they know about us. The ones you've told me, and any others you can think of. Then in the morning I want you to do a little translating."
Aemir thought for a moment. "What are you going to do?"
"I won't try and escape, if that's what you mean." /not yet, anyway/, he thought.
"Alright." Aemir said uneasily, before leaving the elf where he was and going back to the men.
Sure enough, as the evening wore on, the men's tales soon turned to elves. Aemir played his part perfectly - the men were soon looking in Legolas' direction with wary and frightened looks. He had been sitting there willing his glow to brighten as much as he could, and whenever one of the men would look over, he would brighten it a little more, and glare back.
He never slept that night. It was never an option. All night his thoughts had kept wandering to Aragorn - was he alright? His screams had been full of pain - the elf couldn't for the life of him think what had happened. He just hoped that his friend was alright.
The next morning, the men were ready to leave within minutes of the sun being up. As two of the larger men came to usher the elf away, he glared at them and started speaking low and darkly, only in Elvish so they wouldn't understand. Their leader immediately looked to Aemir,
"What did he say?"
Aemir had gone a very pale shade. He didn't want to be the one to tell them. He replied,
"He basically said that we are all going to die slow, pain filled deaths in the near future, pain and terror of the kind that human minds cannot comprehend, and that we will find no rest or peace afterwards. I would go into detail, but..." he paused, "he just cursed us all." he said ominously.
A/N: OK!! If more than 5 of you review, I promise I'll post this week! If not, it'll be next week!!! *points at review button*
Replies to reviews...
lulu bell: well it'd make for a boring fic if they weren't in trouble...(in my opinion anyway!!!) :p The two elves don't really figure in the fic...they're just sorta there for that chappie - in fact they dont even have names!!! LMAO is laughing my ass off! TY for reviewing! sorry about the delay *again* - real life sucks sometimes...
Elf-Girl: awwww, really? you're welcome! eep! Love you too!!!!
Kogura: LOL!!! and ty for prying her off! ;-)
Gloriollas: Nope, not for ransom this time...they don't even know he's royalty!! But yes, Aragorn is almost dead... whether or not he's gonna make it....well I havent decided yet!!! :D This is as soon as I could update...sorry...
farflung: Yes he has. yes they are. but will they get away with it??? I never said they *wouldn't*.... *evil laugh* I dunno what you mean by good or evil Mirkwood? you're welcome and sorry its taken so long...
Deana: lol, do I detect sarcasm? *huggles* just kidding! Here it is, FINALLY!
A/N: well, sorry about the delay, i'll try and get on more often... real life can be a pain in the neck sometimes. *sigh* well sorry to keep you hanging...
Part Two.
They had travelled for miles before the men had stopped for the night. They had been mostly silent for the entire journey, and each of Legolas' attempts to find out information had resulted in a swift blow, so he had eventually given up.
It had soon become clear that the men were uncomfortable with the elf's presence. They sat further that was necessary away from where he was being kept, and kept on looking at him uneasily. None of them would even speak to him.
There was one man though, he looked younger than the rest. He hadn't objected to being around the elf. Legolas hadn't missed the fact that Aemir had tried to make things easier for him, tried to stop the others when they had mistreated him. It didn't change the fact that he was still one of them.
Some time later, the young man came over and sat down. There was silence for a moment. Legolas said nothing - if this man wanted something, Legolas certainly wasn't going to ask what it was. Eventually the man did speak.
"I know what you're going through." he said quietly. There was no reply, so Aemir decided to put his one talent to good use, and tried again, this time using Elvish. Legolas looked obviously surprised, but still didn't reply, so Aemir carried on in the same language,
"Yes I speak your language. I might be young but I've spent my life studying your people. Nothing we say here will get back to them, I promise."
"Why should I believe that?" the elf replied angrily.
Aemir was a little put off by his tone, but was relieved that he had carried on using the same language, so decided to try again.
"Because three years ago I was in your position. These men took me from my home, but when they found out that I had some knowledge of Elves, they decided to keep me, rather than sell me on. There's an annual sale of slaves to the east of Mordor. Almost every slave trader in Middle Earth goes there. That's where they're taking you. And that's the reason they kept me."
"I'm not explaining this very well am I? I'll try again. I was fascinated by Elves from a very young age - so I learnt about your history, your peoples, your language. These men are slave traders. The sales that I mentioned are huge, they make most of their business there, and they're in just over a month's time. Every year, the slavers are hoping they'll be the one to bring an Elf. And the buyers that come from far and wide, even from the richest kings and warlords, they all want to be the one that buys the elf that's brought. As you can guess, the price would be very high. The humans they sell are used as slaves, but the buyers generally see Elves as status symbols, as prizes. And the slaver that brings an Elf could comfortably retire on the profit. You see why they kept me?"
"But why don't you go home to your family? *You* can walk away from them." he said darkly, showing Aemir his bound hands. Aemir shook his head.
"I can't do that. Believe me, if I could, I would have done so long ago. The lives I have seen these men ruin... But if I do, they say they will kill my daughter and my wife. My daughter will be almost three years old now - she was just a baby when they took me. I believe them, and I can't risk their lives."
Legolas looked at the man for the first time since he had come over. He looked very young really, and maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth - the pain on his face looked very real. But it could all be a lie. A way for these men to get information from him. If that was the case, it was a nice try, but it wouldn't work. The man seemed to come back to the present,
"You're a wood-elf aren't you? My guess would be that you're from Mirkwood." he said gently. Legolas nodded once. He would give them that much.
They were interrupted now by a cry from one of the men who seemed to be in charge, "Well Aemir, does it have a name?"
Aemir looked back to the elf apologetically. "I'm sorry. What is your name, anyway?"
Silence.
"If you don't tell them, they'll just take out their anger on you - it'd be better for you if you do."
"Estel. My name is Estel." he replied quietly.
"Well?" the man shouted.
"He says his name is Estel. It means hope." Aemir called back. The man by the fire laughed.
"Not done him much good has it?"
"It was a dark time for my family when I took that name. It was appropriate." It was true enough - a year on from Turion's death, now he had been captured, and the real Estel was out there somewhere, hurt, and Legolas didn't know what had happened, even whether he was alive or dead.
"Well it's gonna get darker for you yet, elf." the man shouted back. "Just wait til we get to where we're going - then you'll know dark!". Again, the men laughed, before turning back to their own conversation.
"Why do you all hate me so much?" Legolas asked Aemir.
"I have nothing against you. In fact if I had my way, they would never have found you. I can usually give them wrong, or off information, but this time it was no use. These men are incredibly supersticious. They all grew up in either small villages or camps, and the only thing they had ever heard about elves were wildly wrong stories. They fear you more than anything."
"What sort of stories?" he asked, hoping he might hear something to his advantage.
Aemir looked the elf up and down. "Stories about your people. About why they have that soft glow that they do, things like that. They think that all elves have magic, some sort of power, and that the stronger your light, the more powerful you are. They are terrified of elf magic - they think that you have the ability to kill them just with words, that you have powerful curses and such."
"Really?" Legolas smiled softly - that was perfect. "Aemir, he said your name was? If you really are sorry about doing this to me, and would rather I wasn't here, as you say, I need your help. Don't worry - they won't know you've helped me - there will be no threat to your little girl. I just want you to go back over to the camp and when they start telling tales, at the earliest chance you have, remind them of all the worst stories they know about us. The ones you've told me, and any others you can think of. Then in the morning I want you to do a little translating."
Aemir thought for a moment. "What are you going to do?"
"I won't try and escape, if that's what you mean." /not yet, anyway/, he thought.
"Alright." Aemir said uneasily, before leaving the elf where he was and going back to the men.
Sure enough, as the evening wore on, the men's tales soon turned to elves. Aemir played his part perfectly - the men were soon looking in Legolas' direction with wary and frightened looks. He had been sitting there willing his glow to brighten as much as he could, and whenever one of the men would look over, he would brighten it a little more, and glare back.
He never slept that night. It was never an option. All night his thoughts had kept wandering to Aragorn - was he alright? His screams had been full of pain - the elf couldn't for the life of him think what had happened. He just hoped that his friend was alright.
The next morning, the men were ready to leave within minutes of the sun being up. As two of the larger men came to usher the elf away, he glared at them and started speaking low and darkly, only in Elvish so they wouldn't understand. Their leader immediately looked to Aemir,
"What did he say?"
Aemir had gone a very pale shade. He didn't want to be the one to tell them. He replied,
"He basically said that we are all going to die slow, pain filled deaths in the near future, pain and terror of the kind that human minds cannot comprehend, and that we will find no rest or peace afterwards. I would go into detail, but..." he paused, "he just cursed us all." he said ominously.
A/N: OK!! If more than 5 of you review, I promise I'll post this week! If not, it'll be next week!!! *points at review button*